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Middle School Studio Lesson
The Tradition of the
Toran
Victoria L. Gadecki
I
with mirrors as well. Most torans
n India, decorative door hangings
have a distinct shape to them—the top
called torans serve as welcome
section is a rectangle and the bottom
flags. They hang above storefronts
sections are triangles that hang down,
and homes to bring in prosperity.
representing mango leaves, which are
People also use torans to announce
quite plentiful
the changing of
People use torans to
and revered in
seasons, to celIndia.
ebrate a birth, to
announce the changing of
honor festivals,
seasons, to celebrate a birth,
Understanding
to welcome the
to honor festivals, to welcome In class, I
gods, and to welthe gods, and to welcome
showed students
come people into
people into their homes.
photographs I
their homes. I
had taken of
first came across
torans while in India. I also showed
torans while I was touring the Calico
them the torans I had purchased there.
Museum of Textiles in Ahmedabad.
We discussed the appliqué techniques
Torans are made using a variety
artisans used to make the torans and
of methods including appliqué,
compared and contrasted the two
embroidery, paint on fabric, crochet,
torans I had purchased.
or beadwork, and may be decorated
I discussed the purposes of torans
in India and their history, then I asked
students to think of other ways they
could decorate their own torans.
Designs on Paper
Before allowing students to begin
designing their torans, I displayed all
of the materials on a table for the class
to see what was available to use. I gave
very few instructions so that students
could be imaginative in their designs
of patterns and use of symbols.
I gave each student a 20 x 40" (51 x
101 cm) piece of white bulletin board
paper to use to sketch out the outline
of his or her toran. I also had several
books on India and Hinduism available for students to look through in
order to get ideas. I explained that
typical rectangular torans in India are
8½ x 39" (22 x 99 cm) with several 7½
x 5½" (19 x 14 cm) triangular shaped
pieces that hang down from the larger
piece.
Students drew their designs on
their papers, some choosing to draw
geometric designs, and others choosing to tell a story. Examples included
drawings of Harappan seals, felt cutContinued on page 45.
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